1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of appliances and, more particularly, to an appliance incorporating a sound cancellation system for quiet operation.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
When designing an appliance, particularly one slated for use in a household, quiet operation is an extremely appealing characteristic. Actually, considerable attention has been paid in the past to incorporating adequate sound deadening features in various household appliances ranging from dishwashers, refrigerators, laundry machines and the like. Reducing undesirable operational noise levels has been addressed in various ways. For instance, considerable emphasis has been placed on utilizing sound deadening material or insulation in the overall appliance construction. In addition, enhancing the overall sealing arrangement of the appliance has been considered. This is particularly prevalent in reducing the output noise levels in under-the-counter dishwashers wherein it is desirable to create a tight seal between the dishwasher and the adjacent kitchen cabinetry. In laundry machines, a fair amount of sound deadening occurs based on the mounting of the rotatable components. That is, the suspension systems in washers and dryers, as well as the bearing support arrangements, are constructed to minimize potential vibrational and other noises.
Regardless of the fact that various construction and installation requirements have been addressed in attempting to minimize the emission of obtrusive sounds emanating during operation of household appliances, ways to further reduce operational sounds or noises would be desirable. Of course, there have been various proposals for sound canceling systems in other fields. For instance, it has been proposed to incorporate a tunable plate or a speaker unit in certain types of machinery, with the tunable plate or speaker being adapted to emit noise at a frequency which is out of phase with that of another noise producing component of the machine. In general, these types of cancellation systems require the addition of quite expensive, dedicated structure which, at least in the price competitive field of home appliances, would be cost prohibitive.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art of appliances for a sound cancellation system which is both effective and practical. More specifically, there exists a need for an appliance sound cancellation arrangement which effectively reduces the level of noises generated during operation of the appliance, but which will not represent any significant cost increase for the overall appliance.
The present invention is directed to the incorporation of a sound cancellation system within an appliance, such as a clothes laundering appliance. In accordance with the invention, multiple power supply components of the appliance are arranged and configured relative to one another such that the sound produced by the operation of one of the components is at least partially canceled by the sound emanating from another one of the components. With this arrangement, at least one of the components performs a standard function associated with the appliance, while another component of the system performs a dual function, with one of the functions being to provide some sort of power used by the appliance for its operation and another of its functions being to cancel out a percentage of the noises developed by the first component.
In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, both the first and second components are constituted by pumps or motors of the appliance, with each of the two components being required in the normal course of operating the appliance. In another preferred embodiment, the second component is defined by a transformer available, not only to reduce the noise produced by the first component, but to run other electrical devices of the appliance. In accordance with the invention, a phase altering device, such as a line capacitor, can be utilized to feed a desired phase into the second component. In any case, the invention is directed to providing a low cost, yet effective, noise cancellation system which advantageously utilizes operational components of an appliance to perform the desired sound cancellation function.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.